SAN FRANCISCO, October 18, (THEWILL) – Barcelona’s new helmsman, coach Ronald Koeman suffered the first defeat of his reign as the Catalan side failed to capitalise on a shock loss for Real Madrid, and slipped to a 1-0 defeat of their own at the hands of Getafe.
With the first installment of this season’s El Clasico looming around the corner, reigning champions Madrid were stunned by newly-promoted Cadiz in the first La Liga game following the international break.
It presented Barca with the opportunity to move level on points with their rivals ahead of next Saturday’s showdown at Camp Nou. Barca allowed that chance slip from their grasp.
Frenchman Ousmane Dembele was included in the first team as he made his first start of 2020, back from an injury-enforced break. The Spanish teenager Pedri was also handed an opportunity from the outset which suggested the new boss Koeman’s desire to show faith in youth during the rebuilding job required at Camp Nou.
However, it was the Blaugrana big-money signing who will once again come under the harsh spotlight. On the night of few creative opportunities, Antoine Griezmann was responsible for squandering his team’s best chance to leave him still with the unenviable record of being without a goal at club level in the early stages of the 2020-21 season.
The French forward wastefully shot over when clean through on goal in a first half consistently punctuated by the sound of referee Cesar Soto Grado’s whistle to draw out his yellow card and push it in the face of players from both sides. By the 42nd minute, the ref had equally distributed four yellow cards.
Getafe had rarely threatened before Frenkie de Jong helped them out. In the 55th minute of play, the midfielder clumsily caught Getafe centre-back Dakonam Ortega Djené inside the area while the Togolese rushed in attempting to win the ball. The ref pointed to the spot.
Jaime Mata, Getafe’s Spanish striker lined up and duly converted the ensuing penalty, sending Barcelona’s Brazilian goalie Neto the wrong way. Tasting an upset, the dogged hosts held firm to their slender advantage through to the final whistle.
In an eventful finish to proceedings not in keeping with the rest of the contest, Juan Hernandez blazed over at one end before Getafe were saved by the woodwork in stoppage time. Barca, not smiled upon by fortune on the day, were unable to find a late leveller their performance scarcely merited.
The underlying issues within the Catalan squad evident in the tumultuous 2019-20 campaign and the subsequent belligerent window were not going to be solved by moving on some of the old guard and shuffling coaches during the transfer window. There are indeed some early positives and silver linings, but this was the first real bump in the road for Koeman.
Having failed to engineer his own exit, Messi is still around. However, so too is the dependency on him to create in attack. The visitors had 73 per cent possession but could only muster a miserly one on-target attempt.
That is why rather than Barca, it is Getafe who are now on level terms with Madrid at the summit with 10 points each. Their performance on Saturday typified Jose Bordalas’ side’s pattern. They conceded 20 fouls and were happy to be without the ball for long spells. Yet, they still had more total shots and more attempts on target than the opposition, one of which resulted in their victory.
THEWILL hopes the Blaugrana can find a formula to hold the cracks together and iron out wins big away from home and at the Camp Nou sooner than later for the sake of their reputation and the fans who desire to see something of the Barcelona of the good old days.
The Catalans start their Champions League campaign at home to Ferencvaros in midweek, followed by that Clasico clash that has now taken on even greater significance for both sides. As for Getafe, they host Granada in La Liga action next Sunday.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
